Client testimonials – Curated by Clutch.co

Challenge

For what projects/services did your company hire VT Netzwelt?

We hired VT Netzwelt to add a bunch of features to an initial product we had built.

What were your goals for this project?

Our aim was to achieve a much more robust product within a tight time frame and budget.

Solution

How did you select this vendor?

We found them online and ran a competitive bid with several other agencies. VT Netzwelt did the most thorough job up front to understand our project and estimate the hours it may incur to complete. They offered several current clients for us to speak with as referrals, which we did. Each referral had exceedingly positive things to say about VT Netzwelt. VT Netzwelt’s professional manner interacting with us, thorough homework ahead of their bid, strong referrals, and competitive pricing made it an easy decision to engage VT Netzwelt.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We began with a recorded kickoff call on which we walked through the current application and discussed the new features in greater depth. We together then prioritized the features and began work. They offered up a weekly call to discuss what was accomplished in the prior week and on deck for the next week. In addition to regular communication over the phone/Skype, Slack and email, these calls helped us stay in sync and adjust the project plan as we went. They significantly enhanced our application beyond just the features requested, which we appreciated.

What was the team composition?

They provided a project manager, a lead full stack developer, a technical architecture developer (2nd set of eyes), and a QA individual. This whole team was engaged from start to finish, and we were pleased with their talent. Management seems to have been intentional about allowing staff to find roles they enjoy and are well-suited for, and in providing training for staff to grow in those roles or take on new responsibilities as each so desires. It seems like a healthy culture (we visited them in India), which made for a strong team.

Result

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

They delivered a more robust product than we expected within the time and budget we had laid out. They allowed us to achieve our goals for that season.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

At the start, they laid out a spreadsheet detailing tasks and expected hours for each. We moved this detail onto Asana once we got started, and built on it from there. They maintained the Asana project to allow me and team to provide updates regarding upcoming tasks and priorities. On their side though, they maintain a homegrown internal project management system, which seems to work great for their team. Their project manager was effective orchestrating the project, and periodically we would engage directly with others on the team as needed. All seemed seamless. We used Skype, Asana, Slack, and email for communication. There was no issue with language barrier as all was done in English.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The quality of the team, the quality of the processes, and thereby the quality of the work.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.

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Challenge

We needed to develop a variety of new spin-off apps that capitalize on the product information search technology that drives our existing products. Tight deadlines and an ever-growing story backlog kept prolonging our project schedules. To tackle this challenge, we commissioned VT Netzwelt to extend our IT team and help us launch the products faster.

Our goal for the project was to develop five mobile apps that each connect to our product data backend. By commissioning VT Netzwelt to develop these products, we anticipated a significantly shorter time-to-market. We also needed to build new APIs following a stringent MVP development approach and adhering to the latest Android requirements.

Solution

How did you select this vendor?

We actively sought recommendations from our business network and shortlisted 8-10 vendors who came highly recommended for an initial review. VT Netzwelt was among the organizations on this list. Based on location, relevant experience, work portfolio, and company size, we narrowed the list to three options who we invited to our office for technical workshops.

As each agency discussed how they would solve specific technical problems, it quickly emerged that VT Netzwelt showed the highest degree of client-orientation, strategic problem-solving skills, and technical capabilities to best fulfill our requirements. We especially valued their transparent, accessible, and highly Agile approach to software development.

As the next step, we asked VT Netzwelt for three references from their existing clients and contacted each one to get a first-hand experience. Once this was also cleared, we signed an LOI and NDA, and we assessed their financial stability.

Describe the project in detail?

The project involved software design and software development for three Android and two iOS native mobile apps using an MVP design pattern. Our dedicated agency provided the UI design. VT Netzwelt also built the REST API web services for each Android app from scratch and refactored and enhanced two other API codebases for the storing of user-specific preferences.

The apps’ modularity allows us to add new functionality faster with less effort and conduct more thorough A/B testing to increase user interaction and gain more monthly active users. Combining automatic testing with the latest app development techniques should also reduce ongoing efforts for regression testing in the future.

What was the team composition?

The size of the team changes from time to time depending on the project requirement. On average, the team included a project manager, two iOS developers, three Android developers, two mobile app testers, and a database administrator.

Result

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Our experience with VT Netzwelt over the past five years has exceeded our expectations. We managed to develop the applications in record time, even accounting for last-minute changes along the way. Similarly, the time-to-market for new feature additions (or occasional bug fixes) drastically improved.

The new apps have an average rating of 4.34 in the Google Play store and 4.5 in the App Store. The products receive fewer customer support requests, which reduces overheads in our department and helps us enlarge our product management team.

Overall, we are more than happy with VT Netzwelt which why we’ve extended our relationship throughout the years. They have demonstrated excellent management and development capabilities while sticking to agreed timelines. They even go the extra mile by working on weekends or outside of office hours to meet time-sensitive deadlines. The team is highly responsive, committed, and above all communicative. They always provide prompt feedback on our inquiries. We hope they keep up this good work so our relationship will continue to benefit both of us.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We mostly use Google Hangout, video chats, Skype, and email for communication methods. VT Netzwelt maintains the code in GitHub and Gitlab uses Confluence and Jira for documentation and the epics and stories.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I’m most impressed with VT Netzwelt’s problem-solving capability when confronted with difficult challenges. Their technical response and depth of thinking have completely amazed us multiple times. They continuously recommend better solutions than our own suggestions and have caught eventualities and conflicts in the requirements we didn’t notice.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The only possible improvement I could think of would be a quicker ramp-up time when adding resources to manage a sudden spike in the size of the backlog. However, we completely understand that this limitation comes from employees’ availability and long-term commitments with other clients, so it’s not really a “flaw.” From time to time, additional resources are already available when we need them temporarily. We’re thankful we can avail of this support on a priority basis.

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Challenge

Our company started in 2009 and at that point, we created a web-based platform for users to become a part of our consumer panel. In 2012, we decided to expand that system to a mobile app. We had an in-house technology team that did web development but didn’t have enough resources to handle the development of a mobile app.

Solution

What was the scope of their involvement?

VT Netzwelt developed a native app, for both iOS and Android devices, with the latest technologies. Our consumer panel can download the app, sign up, and create their profile. We use this information to assign them to a catalog of relevant tasks where they can choose what kind of research efforts they want to participate in. One of the more important features allows users to submit their audit reports and survey reports online, but also through an offline mode to accommodate parts of the world with minimal internet connectivity. Additionally, VT Netzwelt programmed a comprehensive notification feature that sends alerts for new research projects available, payments, information on old research, and rewards for their participation. Now, users don’t have to go through a web portal at all, they can just download the app and all of the same functionality is available.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of six representatives. We had a project manager, a business analyst, a UX/UI designer, a QA person, an iOS developer, and an Android developer.

How did you come to work with VT Netzwelt?

We looked online for the best firms and compiled a list of around 50 companies. We asked each to submit a portfolio and shortlisted ten of them based on their potential. From there, we narrowed it down to three, then asked them to complete a prototype to showcase their understanding of our business requirements. VT Netzwelt produced the best results and we decided to partner with them.

Result

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

VT Netzwelt’s app drew 70% of our users from the web platform to the mobile app and our new user numbers increased by around 60%.

How did VT Netzwelt perform from a project management standpoint?

VT Netzwelt was excellent. We told them we wanted to complete the project quickly and within a reasonable time frame, so they provided an extra resource. The team had great communication skills and promptly responded to questions and requests. They provided end-of-day updates and we discussed the project on weekly calls. If we ever wanted their senior staff to be present, they were always available.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I most appreciated their understanding of our business and the mobile app development industry. They knew what the end-user required and made a noticeable effort to bring that level of usability to the app. With close attention to detail and a rigorous testing process, the team was able to complete the project correctly the first time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were a few times where we wanted to move quicker, but their thorough processes are key to assuring that there won’t be bugs in the finished product. Looking back, I see that they appropriately handled this aspect of the project.

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Challenge

Since our business runs on a subscription model, we needed resources to customize our platform from a Magento shop to a toy rental site.

Solution

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, VT Netzwelt customized our Magento site to match our subscription model by adding a new payment method. They built the module from scratch and integrated it with Amazon Pay (specifically Amazon Recurring Payment), which allows users to rent toys via subscription.

We’ve since expanded their role to include other tasks and customizations. Typically, our product team comes up with additional features, and we provide VT Netzwelt with the technical information for implementation. So far, they’ve developed over 10 backend modules, created customer profiles, and adjusted boxes on the site.

The team is currently working on a feature that allows customers to selectively purchase toys. In the first iteration, this allowed customers to keep certain toys when returning a box of rentals. We’re now adjusting the feature so that customers can buy used toys even if they’ve never rented them.

What is the team composition?

In general, I work with Nitin (VP of Projects, VT Netzwelt), but my in-house team also talks to their developers.

How did you come to work with VT Netzwelt?

I was looking for a Magento agency though my network before meeting one of their co-founders. After we got to know each other and completed a test phase, we expanded their involvement.

Result

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Although we had internal development resources before engaging VT Netzwelt, they were too slow and always exceeded their time estimates. Once we brought on Nitin and his team, we had more reliable developers on hand. They’ve provided us with an accurate product roadmap, allowing us to clearly plan future releases.

How did VT Netzwelt perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is one of their key strengths. I have a good relationship with Nitin and his team, and we communicate at least once a week via Slack and Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate how accurate their time and cost estimates are when planning out features. Since we have regular calls, I always feel up to date, and there are no negative surprises. Furthermore, we share a high level of trust. If they tell me something should be done a certain way, I follow their advice. Other IT colleagues have also confirmed the quality of their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind at the moment. This has been the best experience I’ve had with external developers.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Beyond trusting their team, it’s good to have weekly routines and a full pipeline for tasks and projects; this will relieve your daily workload. They’re also a great long-term partner. As they continue to work on your interior system, they’ll provide more and more value over time.

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